The present invention relates to a magnetic disk apparatus as well as an assembling method and apparatus for inserting magnetic heads of the magnetic head apparatus each between adjacent magnetic disks.
Magnetic disk apparatuses are widely used as storage systems in computers and word processors, while with an increase in storage capacity, there is an increasing demand for the reduction in size of the apparatus.
Such magnetic disk apparatuses are each constituted roughly by magnetic disks and a magnetic head assembly. To meet the above demand, however, it is necessary to not only reduce the size of the magnetic disk apparatus but also increase the number of information recording magnetic disks, so that the spacing between adjacent magnetic disks becomes smaller.
Usually six to eight magnetic disks are used in a magnetic disk apparatus. In assembling the apparatus, magnetic heads are each inserted between adjacent ones of six to eight magnetic disks and are then brought into contact slowly with the disk faces. If each magnetic head is contacted with the associated magnetic disk face during this inserting operation, there will occur such inconvenience as a flaw or damage.
In view of this problem there has been proposed a method wherein each arm of a magnetic head assembly is restricted from the outside or from the inside by means of a jig to provide a certain spacing and is then inserted between adjacent magnetic disks, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open Nos. 57-109125 and 63-167489.
There has also been adopted a method wherein each arm is expanded from the inside by using a stacked electrostatic actuator, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 3-97173.
In inserting a magnetic head in between adjacent magnetic disks, as mentioned above, there is performed a preparatory work of inserting a jig between adjacent arms with magnetic heads in a magnetic head assembly fixed thereto to provide a certain spacing. For this work is required a high accuracy which permits insertion of a jig into a slight arm-to-arm gap in a magnetic head assembly, and thus the work in question is troublesome.
Further, as the spacing between adjacent magnetic disks becomes still narrower, a dimensional error of the constituent parts and their assembling error exert a greater influence when the assembly accuracy of magnetic disks and magnetic head assembly is taken into account; as a result, with such a jig of providing a certain spacing as mentioned above, it becomes more likely that magnetic disks and magnetic heads will contact each other at the time of insertion of the heads, causing a flaw or damage.